Social KL @ G Tower – The place where friends meet

“A group of friends who loved to explore new cultures and cuisines shared among themselves their food escapades from around the globe. They realized that all the elements they loved most from their travels could not be found anywhere in Malaysia. It was then they decided on a new dining concept that blends a Restaurant, Bar and Winepost and hence the idea of was born.”

The restaurant itself has no relation whatsoever to The Social in Bangsar/Changkat Bukit Bintang, as I originally thought. It is a completely separate entity, occupying 8000 square feet at Malaysia’s first fully Green building, G Tower.

Half a level down, its signature winepost with an impressive collection spanning across 100 countries, over 20 regions.

Head down further and you’ll find the open air bar area, with a wide variety of beers on tap, cocktails galore.

Terry (Red FM Drive), Alvin (Photographer) and I we warmly greeted by Jerry Goh (Director of Operations) and Cherine Yap (Director of Marketing and Events), who made us feel so at home.

They enlightened us the on concept, the design, and most importantly, the food.

The kitchen is headed up by Executive Chef Cheong Yew Wai.

“Chef Wai comes from a reputable hotel in Singapore,” she tells us. “He really takes pride in his ingredients, and great care in cooking them. His presentation is impeccable.”

Terry and I liked the attention to detail, which was apparent right from the glasses our drinks were served in to the garnish on each dish.

Signature drinks

Social Ice Tea

This is a very refreshing, giant glass of tea, served with a dollop of homemade sorbet. There are seven different flavours, so technically, if you ate there every day, you could have a different flavour every day! First, we tried the Kalamansi, which we adored for its sour, invigorating taste.

I liked the consistency of this Lassi. It was blended so smooth it just shot up my straw when I slurped. Cooling and thirst-quenching, the lime breaks up the sweetness of the mango and makes it extremely refreshing.

Berry Booster

Cherine tells us that this is a popular drink for its healthy detox benefits. A high fibre mixture of raspberries, blackberries, sweet strawberries and grapes, blended to a rich, royal plum colour. Appealing to the eyes and definitely a champion in taste.

Oh, how fun! It even fooled me! We scooped through the creamy layer of froth at the top and found underneath a truffle scented blended mushroom soup, with mushroom bits. The consistency was perfect, not too thick, not too watery, and the chunks of mushroom added a lovely texture.

I recommend putting your spoon down and using the fragrant toasted garlic baguette instead to scoop up every bite.

Peppered ahi tuna

This is a great cold starter. Fresh tuna coated with black pepper & quick seared at in a very high temperature hot plate.

The tune is cooked medium, removed from the heat and chilled. Laid beside a bed of fresh green beans,creamy quail eggs, black olives, salty white anchovies and drizzled with a sharp balsamic vinaigrette.

Slow cooked 16 hours wagyu beef cheek

Our favourite dish of the evening. Very tender, melt in your mouth Australian wagyu beef cheek, marinated with fresh herbs and soaked in red wine overnight.

The cheek is cooked at a very low temperature for at least 16 hours. The meat was rich and buttery, and really soaked up the flavour of the marinade while the gravy was rich, dark and meaty.

Initially, I assumed this would be a dish similar to ‘Sang Har Mein’ (Freshwater Prawn Noodles). Instead, it was a steaming hot bowl of fragrant prawn stock, with springy yellow noodles, chicken, fishcake, beansprouts,eggs, and of course, two giant tiger king prawns.

Terry pointed out that it was a more refined version of ‘Har Mein’ (Prawn mee) that we often see sold by the streetside. The broth was scrumptious, made from boiling prawn head and shell for several hours.

What we had in front of us was a laborious process of boiling, blending, and sieving, to produce and golden, almost clear prawn flavoured stock.

Slurp. Two thumbs up from all around the table.

Tagliatelle pasta “seafood jambalaya”

This was an example of Chef Wai’s creative ways fusing cuisines. The inspiration for the sauce hails from the Louisiana Creole dish, Jambalaya, which is heavily influenced by Spanish and French cuisine. The version here, contains no tomatoes, and so is more of a Cajun Jambalaya, as opposed to the Creole style.

The colour in the sauce here is achieved from browned seafood that sticks to the bottom of the pan. Instead of rice, Chef Wei uses Italian Tagliatelle, a long flat egg pasta. I quite enjoyed the combination, although Terry and I both agreed that the sauce could have had a little more “oomph”. A pleasant dish with fresh tastes.

Pizza Chicken Satay

Now this, was real fusion. Definitely one of Chef Wai’s more adventurous attempts at merging cuisines from different countries.

Both Terry and I were a little unsure about the combination of Satay and cheese (we eat with eat other often enough that all it takes is a glance across the table!). We were pleasantly surprised!

The flavours of each ingredient were mild yet tasty, so they complemented rather than overpowered each other. The chicken was tender and juicy, the satay sauce nutty with a gentle spiciness.

The melted mozzarella brought it all together, and I loved the crunch from the fresh diced cucumber that was sprinkled on top.

Smoked salmon and avocado sandwich

When the sandwich arrived, a whole discussion ensued about how it was a ladies dish. “Men eat burgers,” chirped Terry, and I was leaning towards agreeing with him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a single male friend of mine indulge in a ‘healthy’ sandwich like this. “It won’t fill them up, that’s why,” added Jerry. “Women, they can order this, and a salad and share. That’ll be enough for lunch,” he added.

I nodded, as I could definitely see myself doing that. So ladies, listen up! This is the sandwich for you! It’s healthy, it’s low in fat, yet it’s super tasty.

Omega 3 fatty acids from the fresh Norwegian smoked salmon, good fat from the creamy Australian avocado, the vitamins and minerals from the crunchy salad and alfafa sprouts, and the wholemeal goodness from the homemade focaccia bread.

Tiramisu

Dessert was a classic Italian Tiramisu, with soaked biscuit dipped in coffee and soaked in liqueur at the bottom, followed by layers of lightly whipped mascarpone and cream, and finally a dusting of chocolate powder. Delicious!

Red Bean Galore

A surprise Asian dessert that Cherine recommended. Cool and mildly sweet, with ginko nuts and black sesame ice cream. I particularly enjoyed the ice cream which was rich and nutty.

I love everything we tried. I loved the freshness of the ingredients, the array of different tastes that you can get under one roof. It truly was a satisfying meal, in a relaxed ambience.

Social KL … The place to be. Where friends meet.

A big thank you to Jerry, Cherine, Chef Wai and the team at Social KL for a marvelous evening!